Inside TAG Heuer's Latest Luxury 'Connected' Smartwatch

Inside TAG Heuer's Latest Luxury 'Connected' Smartwatch

The $1,500 Connected smartwatch boasts style, luxury, a host of color options and classic watch functions in a modern timepiece.

The TAG Heuer Connected Smartwatch

Built in collaboration with Intel and Google, TAG Heuer's new luxury Connected smartwatch is now available for purchase for $1,500. The watch, which was announced last March, features classic watch functions in a modern timepiece.

Classic TAG Heuer Styling

The Connected timepiece includes design and styling from TAG Heuer and is powered by a 1.6GHz Atom Z34XX dual-core processor from Intel and Google's Android Wear operating system.

Titanium Watch Case

The timepiece is built inside a Grade 2 titanium case and includes a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, a 1.5-inch circular LTPS LCD touch-screen display with 360-by-360 (240-ppi) resolution, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of onboard storage.

Single Push-Button Control

The smartwatch is controlled with a single push button that operates multiple functions. The timepiece is 1.8 inches in diameter and 0.50 inches thick and weighs 1.8 ounces. It is also splash-resistant to IP67 standards.

Use It With Android or iOS

The Connected smartwatch is designed with compatibility with smartphones running at least Android 4.3 or Apple's iOS 8.2 or above. Apps for both types of smartphones are available to run the Connected timepiece.

25 Hours of Use Per Charge

The Connected smartwatch runs on a 410mAh battery that is expected to provide a minimum of about 25 hours of use on a charge, according to TAG Heuer. The watch also includes Bluetooth 4.1 and WiFi connectivity and an internal gyroscope, tilt detection sensor, microphone and haptic engine.

Available in a Rainbow of Strap Color Options

The watch comes with a vulcanized rubber strap with a grade 2 titanium folding clasp and safety push-buttons and is available in seven strap colors: green, blue, orange, red, white, black and yellow.

Watch Face Choices

The company's first three digital watch faces feature the recognizable designs seen in TAG Heuer's Carrera watch collection, including hands, index, counters, date window and minute track. The three watch faces include a traditional chronograph dial, a three-hand dial and a GMT dial, all of which display the date and are available in black, deep blue or pearl white colors. Other watch faces will arrive in the future.

Information at a Glance

The TAG Heuer Connected includes three "interactive counters" on its face that provide pertinent information for users at a glance. Users can touch one of the counters, and it will open the information in a full-screen app for perusal.

WiFi Connectivity, Even Without a Smartphone

The watch, which works without a smartphone as long as there is a WiFi connection, also includes the classic watch functions of a timer, alarm and stopwatch. It can be exchanged for a mechanical TAG Heuer watch with an included Swiss movement at the end of the product's two-year warranty period after paying an exchange fee of $1,500.

Tag Heuer's new $1,500 Connected smartwatch still has much of the same luxury and style as its traditional mechanical timepieces, but for the first time, was designed and built with technology partners Google and Intel. The result is a modern timepiece with a 1.5-inch circular LTPS LCD touch-screen display with 360-by-360 (240-ppi) resolution, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of onboard storage, all packed into a Grade 2 titanium case that's covered with a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. The smartwatch also includes a 1.6GHz Atom Z34XX dual-core processor from Intel and runs on Google's Android Wear operating system. The Connected timepiece, TAG Heuer's first smartwatch offering, is compatible with smartphones running at least Android 4.3 or Apple's iOS 8.2 or above. The Connected comes loaded with three digital watch faces that emulate traditional TAG Heuer watch face styles, while additional watch faces will be available later for download. Peruse this eWEEK slide show for more details about the new Connected smartwatches.